FBI busts musician’s elaborate AI-powered $10M streaming-royalty heist

RBG@discuss.tchncs.de to Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ@lemmy.dbzer0.com – 61 points –
FBI busts musician’s elaborate AI-powered $10M streaming-royalty heist
arstechnica.com

I am just impressed by the idea and execution. Just wow. Too bad he took it too far.

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Definitely an abuse of the system, but I'm struggling to see where criminal law says you can't make a bunch of fake accounts to listen to garbage music.

In agreeing to be paid by music streaming platforms they almost certainly agreed not to do exactly this.

From justice.gov:

SMITH, 52, of Cornelius, North Carolina, is charged with wire fraud conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and money laundering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

This is a ridiculous law, it might as well be called "money fraud". Justice is a bad joke.